Congratulations to all race participants, especially to those WRC members who had a great day on the course! Several WRC runners paired up in today’s race to help each other knock out the 26.2 miles and cut through the wind that presented an occasional gust.

Looking Back

In the Fall of 2008, I ran my first marathon at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. It was an all-around amazing experience. I ran a Boston qualifier (BQ), was inspired by our military, and thought I found my calling in long distance running. In fact, I loved it so much that I made a commitment to run 50 marathons by age 50, which, at the young age of 25, was only 2 per year! What a deal.

However, over the thousands of miles logged, my passion for running quickly went from all-encompassing to non-existent. I even welcomed a horrible case of plantar-fasciitis-turned-stress-fracture because it meant that I didn’t have to run. To say that’s a bad place to be is to put it lightly.

During an introspective conversation with my fiancé (and the Washington Running Club’s el Prez), Kirk Masterson, on our long drive back from another disappointing, injury-plagued Boston Marathon, I recognized that I was running merely to PR, to reach an arbitrary goal of running 50 by 50, and, what’s worse, because I defined myself as a marathoner and not a runner. This conversation made it very clear that running became more a job than a passion – something that I had to do rather than what I wanted to do.

The conversation also brought me back to basics. I remembered that I started running cross country in high school because I loved going back into the woods, running fast, and coming out of the tree line stronger than I started. I also recalled the stress I felt during indoor and spring track because of external pressures of being “on stage”; I’ve always performed better when out of the spotlight, when left alone to develop and act on my own talents. I realized that road races, while lively and fun, were similar to track in that it gave me the “all eyes on me” feeling that churned my stomach years ago.

Breaking news: Rachel Clattenburg smashed through the sub-three hour marathon barrier and ran a personal best of 2:57:58 for the win at today’s 18th Annual New Jersey Marathon. She was more than 12 minutes ahead of the second fastest woman in the field. Report. Results. Article and photo.

Rachel is now tied for 16th fastest WRC woman marathoner ever, and will be added to our list of Top Club Marathoners.

After last year’s return to the scene, the Washington Running Club is back to contending for team titles in all four divisions (Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Men’s Masters, and Women’s Masters) at the 2014 Boston Marathon. We’re liveblogging on race day with news, statistics, and color commentary.

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About WRC

Washington Running Club (WRC) is a long-distance running club for runners of all abilities living in and around Washington, DC. The club meets for distance runs, participates in race events, and gathers for various social outings throughout the year.

What WRC members have in common, regardless of their abilities, is an interest in the sport of running and being a part of the larger running community. Club members also provide aid and comfort to their fellow members as well as exchange advice and tips on running. Overall, we strive to improve our running, maintain our health and fitness, and have fun!